Grilled Whole Sardines Thai Side Sauce

This fantastic recipe for grilled fish starts with fresh or frozen whole sardines. You’ll love the tenderness of this easy fish recipe, which includes a dry barbecue rub slathered on the fish before grilling followed by a flavorful Thai sauce that makes this dish truly gourmet!

Pre Time:12 mits Cook Time:10mits Total Time:20 mits

Ingredients

SERVES 2

8-10 whole sardines, fresh or frozen (see recipe for instructions on how to clean sardines)

BARBECUE RUB FOR SARDINES: (double this recipe for more than 10 sardines)

Lightly oil the grill with a little cooking oil to prevent fish from sticking.

To make the barbecue rub, simply stir all the rub ingredients together in a small bowl.

If the sardines you are using are already cleaned and prepared, skip this step. If not, cleaning sardines is relatively easy. Make a cut along the bottom of the fish and remove the intestines and entrails (simply run your finger inside the cut). Rinse and place the fish aside to dry.

Place prepared sardines on a try or in a long casserole dish, so that they’re lying flat. Drizzle with about 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil and slather evenly over the fish.

Now sprinkle the BBQ rub you made earlier over the entire surface of the fish. Gently rub it along each fish, so they appear yellow-gold. Sprinkle any remaining rub powder over the fish and set aside to marinate until your barbecue/grill is hot (at least 10 minutes).

To make the sauce: Simply place all sauce ingredients in a small pot or sauce pan. Heat very briefly (do not boil) – just warm up over medium heat to bring out the flavors, and it’s ready! Taste-test for salt, adding more fish sauce if not salty enough, or another squeeze of lime juice if too salty for your taste. Add a little more sugar if too sour. (Note: You only need a teaspoon of this sauce per fish, as it’s very flavorful.)

Before grilling, make sure your grill is lightly oiled or the sardines will stick. Grill the fish until cooked – about 5-8 minutes each side. When done, the fish will appear golden and the skin will be crisp.

Enjoy the fish as is, or spoon over the sauce for an extra Thai treat. The sauce is also very nice with rice.